Showtime at the Alamo: Austin Trout works out, greets fight fans

Austin Trout participates in a boxing workout in front of the Alamo, Wednesday, April 17, 2013, in San Antonio. Trout is scheduled to fight Canelo Alvarez for Alvarez's WBC and Trout's WBA Super World junior middleweight titles on Saturday at Alamodome. (AP Photo/The San Antonio Express-News, Tom Reel)

SAN ANTONIO -- Austin Trout greeted more than 2,000 fans with smiles and waves early Wednesday afternoon, pausing to pose for pictures and sign autographs on his way to and from the makeshift boxing ring in front of the Alamo.

Trout had a full day Wednesday as he prepares for his mega-fight showdown with Saul "Canelo" Alvarez on Saturday night in the Alamodome -- the boxing rarity that is a pair of undefeated world champions going toe-to-toe ... tossing caution to the wayside on their journey toward this showdown.

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Bill Knight

The Las Cruces world champion went to Fort Sam Houston in the morning for what he termed "an inspirational" visit with the Wounded Warrior program. He showed up for a brief 30-minute workout in front of the Alamo, got a bite to eat, went for a stroll along the River Walk with friends and family, and then got in a more serious workout in the evening.

"It was a good day," said Trout, the WBA junior middleweight world champion with a 26-0 résumé. "The trip to Fort Sam Houston was really good. We visited a recovery facility for wounded warriors ... burn victims and amputees. It was state-of-the-art technology. The physical rehab was impressive, but the mental and emotional rehabilitation was even more impressive.

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"Everyone there was so happy," Trout said. "No one was feeling sorry for himself -- or herself. The attitude they had was so inspirational. These are the true heroes and we've got to honor them.They are fighting for our freedom and they are motivation for me to fight even harder."

Trout arrived in front of the Alamo -- the tiny edifice that looms so large in Texas lore -- at around 12:30 local time. The crowd was really waiting for Alvarez, the WBC junior middleweight champion with a 41-0-1 record. But. they were warm and gracious with Trout.

Trout's trainer since boyhood, Louie Burke, methodically wrapped Trout's hands, taking no chances with his fighter's money-makers. He carefully wrapped each hand, putting strips of tape in just the right place -- just as he has thousands of times -- while the crowd waited patiently.

Trout shadowboxed around the ring, working up a sweat as music blared throughout the area that had been blocked off by police barricades. Next, Burke joined him in the ring, pursuing Trout as the world champion flicked counters just short of Burke's body ... a ballet they have danced a thousand times.

Trout then worked the mitts against Burke, banging away over and over, dripping sweat on this cool, overcast, humid afternoon. The two worked away, Trout snapping punches into the mitts ... just as they have done together for nearly a lifetime. Trout banged away, sometimes retreating, sometimes the aggressor as loud music accompanied their every move. Finally, after about five minutes, camp coordinator Moose Gomez yelled "time" and the session came to a halt.

Lastly, Burke grabbed a towel and whipped it around as Trout bobbed and weaved and countered. It was a light-hearted moment and, though serious, Trout caught the towel at one point and tossed it to the canvas at center ring. Burke smiled, retrieved the towel and continued his pursuit.

The half-hour session ended and, after Burke had unraveled his handiwork on Trout's hands, the Las Cruces fighter grabbed the microphone and addressed the fans.

"I thank you all for coming out and I thank you for making this fight happen," Trout said. "You are the reason it happened. My condolences to all the people injured in Boston. I send my prayers out to Boston. We all need to stick together in moments like this.

"We're all getting ready for Saturday night," he told the crowd. "I'm in shape, he's in shape and that means nothing but the best for you on Saturday night."

Trout posed for pictures, signed autographs, did a brief media interview session and signed a few more autographs.

Burke shrugged and smiled and said, "I have to be the bad guy. I have to step in and pull back the reins and get him out of here. If it were up to Austin, he'd be here signing autographs all afternoon."

Burke eventually got Trout back to his hotel and soon a small contingent walked down the street and found a Brazilian steak restaurant.

Trout sat quietly in a corner, his oldest daughter Kaira next to him, his mother M.J. across from him, his fiance Taylor Hardardt next to mom. The rest of the crew -- Burke, Gomez and athletic performance specialist Shukree Shabazz -- sat at the other end of the table.

Trout ate a little bit, smiling and saying, "I still eat a few times a day, to keep my metabolism going. But, I don't eat as much. My weight is good, though. I'm able to eat and that's a good sign."

Pausing, laughing, Trout said, "I picked this restaurant and I'm glad I did. This is great. This is where we are going to come after weigh-in Friday."

Sharing a slice of meat with his daughter, Trout then reflected on the afternoon.

"That was fun this afternoon," he said. "The atmosphere was great and the people were wonderful. A lot of San Antonio people were great and there was a good group from Las Cruces there showing some love. I enjoyed it."

About the time Trout was eating a small meal, Alvarez and his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy Promotions, showed up at the Alamo. They were mobbed by the crowd. Alvarez never got in a workout. He simply signed a bit, posed a bit and uttered a few words for his fans.

Meanwhile, Trout and his family and camp members were taking in the famed River Walk.

After a rest, Trout went to a local gym for another little workout.

"Just fine-tuning," he said.

And Burke said, "Just going over a few things, reiterating what we want to do. The hard work is done. Now it's just maintenance, keeping sharp. We've done all this before."

Trout smiled, shook his head and said, "Now, we just wait."

There will be a press conference today and the weigh-in will be Friday. Saturday night, in front of more than 40,000 in the Alamodome and millions more watching on Showtime, the wait will be over.

Bill Knight may be reached at bknight@elpasotimes.com; 546-6171. Follow him on Twitter @BillKnightept